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Monday, May 31, 2010

yesterday was the last day of philippine fashion week—and the first day that we attended! unfortunately, PFW was not top of mind for us. because we are no longer directly involved in fashion (like we were when we were an editor), there is no sense of urgency to attend and cover it, other than to see what's/who's new or to support designer friends. but the fact is there are so many new names on the list that we don't know more than half of them. and we don't know if bloggers are given the same kind of "importance" the rest of the world has given them. hello, bryanboy on the front row of the newyorklondonmilanparis shows! seated just a couple seats away from anna wintour!! that she featured him and other fashion bloggers on the pages of vogue!!! oh well maybe the PFW peeps did give bloggers "importance" and the fash pack was just not part of the list. hmmm... anyhoo we went to see the "show" of marlon rivera. we missed his debut the other year, and his second show last year, that we promised ourselves we would not miss it this year. well, we might as well have missed it anyway! because after a 15-minute artsy-fartsy video starring jo ann bitagcol and the national museum, marlon came out with his models and bowed. that's it?? that's it!! that was the show!! as we were scratching our heads wondering if there was more, director joey espino came out and said, that's it, that's the end!! naloka kami!! haay mga high-concept chuva, just goes over our heads. we wanted to see some clothes! as ricky villabona said, it's a fashion show for the youtube generation... oh well that meant we had plenty of time to scoot over to mall of asia to catch the human-kashieca-bench show. being kind of out of touch with the new documentation-generation of showbiz celebs, there were plenty we didn't recognize. this gal below received one of the loudest cheers and screams from the mall crowd. can someone please tell us who she is?? they also had a kids' portion for bench's tweens line. juliana gomez was there and her daddy richard was in the front row to cheer her on. unfortunately, mommy lucy was not there kasi she has a new job na: congressman of ormoc. but it was this kid who got the loudest cheers and screams. who is this kid?? another one who got a lot of cheers and screams was coco martin, who stars in the film "noy," which is not about noynoy aquino but about a journalist named noy who follows noynoy during his campaign period. last friday, we were at power plant and the mall was buzzing, we couldn't figure out why. finally we saw the bodyguards and the security and the photographers and the usiseros: noynoy aquino and entourage were in the mall to attend the premiere of "noy."and of course how can we miss our crush diether :-) sigh... our photos are kinda blurry.. must be a wrong setting. we can never figure out what setting to use for fashion shows! it's really tricky!

BANGKOK--Thailand's authorities have lifted a night-time curfew imposed 10 days earlier in Bangkok and 23 provinces after deadly anti-government protests, the prime minister said Saturday.

"The curfew will be lifted but the state of emergency will remain in place," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters.

He said security officials had proposed ending the measure "as the situation is under control."

The curfew was imposed on May 19 after enraged protesters went on a rampage of arson following an army crackdown on their mass rally, which descended into several outbreaks of violence that left 88 people dead since mid-March.

(from newsinfo.inquirer.net)

we're happy to hear that. we were shocked and saddened by all that was happening in bangkok, but can you imagine how its residents must have felt? especially when the red shirts starting burning down buildings, including the relatively new centralworld mall! in the days following that incident, the centralworld website even put out this announcement (click to enlarge and read): we had only been there once and we vowed to go back one day because the mall is (rather, was) so huge, we only got to see probably half of it. it was back in holy week 2008, as strolled through the mall, we heard this happy sound wafting through the air and searched for the source. it was a band playing in the middle. people gathered around them to watch and kids started dancing. we have no idea who they are, but we just thought we'd share the video we took. hope you enjoy it too :-)

Saturday, May 29, 2010

whenever we travel, we pack what we have christened our geekay kit. that's actually what we used to call the hubby's kikay kit, because instead of makeup, creams, and bath stuff, he would pack chargers, wires, and gadgets galore into a zip-up pouch. now this would be the ultimate piece to pack into a fashion lover's geekay kit: a YSL universal charger! we found this on nytimes.com

Considering how long stylish travelers have had to cart around less-than-beautiful electrical doohickeys, it’s a wonder that fashion hasn’t come to the rescue sooner. The Yves Saint Laurent travel adapter ($450) is a one-piece electrical dual-voltage plug adapter that connects gadget to outlet in any combination in more than 150 countries (Japanese cellphone to American outlet, German shaver to Australian socket). The circular device swivels to each region’s plug, and a leather bag available in fuchsia, black and violet provides the panache.

weelavett!!! weewannett!!! but at US$450?? hmmm the things you can buy with that amount! if you had US$450, what would YOU buy?

Friday, May 28, 2010

no, it's not some holiday in bulacan. it was just a day spent in bulacan that was happy. happy for us and five other gals. it was the opening day of hairstylist nikki bacay's salon called section at balagtas town center, a new mall in bulacan. nikki is known in the beauty biz as a schwarzkopf ambassador (he travels at least twice a year to attend their international seminars for updates on trends and techniques, and his salons use the products exclusively) and as a hairstylist to celebrities, socialites, and politicos at his eponymous greenhills salon. section will be a chain of salons in provincial malls that will offer the same products and services, but at more affordable prices. the one in bulacan is the first; soon he will be opening in batangas. so after the ribbon cutting and lafang to death, we got us some hair love, woo-hoo! (we were treated to cuts, colors, and/or treatments :-) here's a pic of nikki and his team (nikki is on the extreme right with the crazy-tall hair): some of the schwarzkopf products they use at section: the glam black-and-white interiors: so if you live in the area, you need not travel far to get your beauty fix. for bookings, call or text +62922-846-6689.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

if chanel has the camellia and gucci has the horsebit, salvatore ferragamo has the bow as one its iconic symbols. they call it the vara—a buckle with a grosgrain ribbon, which was originally used to decorate a flat shoe back in 1978. a staple every season, to date, the vara shoe has sold over a million pairs and the vara bow eventually found its way into other items like heels, bags, belts, headbands, keychains, and today, into a bottle of perfume. all we can say is, what took them so long?? isn't it pretty? the fragrance is called incanto bloom. we love the black-and-white color scheme with a pop of pink and sprigs of dandelions blooming from the edges. and the scent is actually nice and light; goes well with the current heat and humidity we've been experiencing. (heavy scents never do well in this country. to wit: we heard that the best-selling fragrance in local department stores is still CKone!) it's young but sophisticated. and to illustrate who the incanto bloom woman is, there was a mini-launch at the salvatore ferragamo store in greenbelt 4. (take note of the vara heels and purses...) some people may find salvatore ferragamo's accessories boring, but the brand does have its market: women who prefer more classic, "quiet," and not-super-trendy accessories. we just wish, though, that SSI would bring in some of the more fashion-forward designs, which we only get to see on style.com or when we travel abroad! but check out the other pieces from the new collection of vara bags and shoes, now available at the store. you might like 'em... (personally, we like the printed totes and shoes :-)

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

yesterday, massimo dutti presented its spring/summer collection at its power plant mall store. it was an intimate event, and the first one held at this branch. the men's and women's outfits were presented in three parts, each part styled by a different designer. which styling do you like?

styled by jojie lloren:

styled by joey samson (check out the last jacket on the guy; joey turned it inside out! proves the inside is just as well-made as the outside!):

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

...and who doesn't!? (well, maybe one of those always-a-bridesmaid-and-never-a-bride types, which we were before—actually we were always-a-guest-and-not-even-a-bridesmaid haha!). recently, wedding essentials (WE) magazine launched its official website/blog weheartweddings.com and invited bloggers to cover the event—and the fash pack was there! the editor in chief (and fellow blogger) marbee shing-go is our friend and we wanted to support her new project. here she is with event host RJ ledesma during a light moment at the launch: since we really have no use for a wedding magazine (kasi married na kami ;-), we checked out the blog and boy were we sucked in! nakaka-inggit, parang we want to get married again! we couldn't help but think hmmm it would've been nice if we did this or did that, or got this photographer or decorated the reception this way or used that theme etcetcetc... weddings these days are so different! super bongga! even if it's small, the production is still en grande. and we mean production! just check out the blog and look through the wedding photos of different couples and you'll see what we mean... it might even inspire you to send in photos of your own wedding for the magazine's first online promo "say i do to the offer of a lifetime." the top prize: to be on the cover of WE's beautiful weddings issue! here's how it works: simply write all about your wedding day—from the gown to the food to the venue—and the writeup will be featured on weheartweddings.com. throughout the week, readers can vote on their favorite wedding story via an online poll. at the end of each week, the "wedding of the week" winner will be announced. the promo runs till july 18, 2010 so there's still lots of time to organize your photos and write your story! (hmmm should we join..? that'll mean having to scan tons of photos—hindi pa uso ang digital camera when we got married! yes, it was that long ago!!) send everything to bw10@weheartweddings.com

but heed the rules: • your wedding must have taken place within september 2009 to the present. (uh-oh, theres goes our chance...)• must have a philippine connection (i.e., must have at least one of the following: a filipino bride or groom or both; a philippine venue; at least 3 filipino wedding suppliers).• entries must be 600-800 words long, be written in english, express details of the wedding in blog or essay format in your own voice, include 3 tips for soon-to-wed readers, and come with 8-10 photos linked to the facebook or website wedding photo album.

what's at stake:• the WE editorial staff will pick 5 of their own favorite wedding stories. these 5 editorial picks and the 10 wedding of the week winners will each receive a WE gift bag worth P3,000 from sponsors, and will be featured in WE's beautiful weddings issue!• best of all, each of the 15 wedding stories featured will have its own cover! plus the couples will be invited to the launch of WE's beautiful weddings issue in october, where they will receive a complimentary copy of the issue with their wedding on the cover.

tomorrow you have till midnight to vote for the wedding of the week! and you have two more months to join the promo!

Monday, May 24, 2010

it was a hothothot weekend! on saturday, we spent part of the evening at people's palace's 10th anniversary party at greenbelt 3. and wouldn't you know it, it was one of the hottest days of the year! and there was colin mckay, owner of people's palace, in a big blonde wig con todo makeup and false eyelashes, wearing a white three-piece suit ala tony manero that we had to ask, are you a boy or a girl??

so the next day, sunday, we decided to drive up to tagaytay, hoping for a respite from the heat and wouldn't you know it, it was just as hot as manila!! we booked an overnight stay at one of our favorite places, sonya's country bed & breakfast. we remember when this used to be called sonya's garden. back in the mid-90s, it started out with just a dirt road leading to one cottage surrounded by, yes, sonya's garden of flowers, vegetables, and herbs. there was a small living/dining room and sonya's bedroom in the upstairs loft. and you couldn't just show up; you had to make a reservation. that cottage is now the country store: through the years sonya's has grown into a sprawling property that includes lots of shabby-chic cottages... a bakery (they bake their own breads and pastries)... a spa (if you like strong, firm hands, ask for josie)... a "ballroom" where wedding receptions can be held (this looks really pretty at night when it's all dressed up)... and a whole collection of natural, chemical-free beauty and home-fragrance products... and pet lovers will be happy to know that doggies are welcome! so we brought our little doggy who, after we entered our cottage, promptly peed, pooped, and puked on the sisal rug! well, not all at the same time, but all on the same spot. nakakahiya! (there goes our toothbrush—we had to use it to get into the crevices...) when it comes to food, if you're fussy, be warned that you have no choice. the food has always been the same: for lunch and dinner, she serves salad (leafy greens and accompanying ingredients like boiled eggs, cheese, cucumbers, mango slices, etc) and pasta with a selection of sauces and toppings (pomodoro, mushrooms, olives, salmon, etc). all washed down with freshly squeezed dalandan juice. we like it all! makes us feel healthy hehe... and as we were served dessert, oops! an uninvited guest popped up! sorry, not for doggies!

About Me

the fash pack is written and published by liza ilarde, who has been in the philippine publishing industry since the late 80s. she has been editor in chief of the following magazines: mega, meg, lifestyle asia, jet set, and travelife. currently, she is editor of style weekend, a lifestyle magazine that comes free with manila bulletin every friday. she is also editor of manila bulletin's fashion & beauty pages, which appear in the lifestyle section every friday. she is also editor of asian dragon weddings, an annual bridal magazine for the affluent chinese-filipino market. she started the fash pack in october 2005.